HOW TRAGEDY BROUGHT A CITY TOGETHER

THE RIVALRY between Manchester’s two clubs has reached new heights in recent times, but it is pertinent today to remember a meeting of 10 years ago. In 2008, United and City played at Old Trafford on the 50th anniversary of the Munich tragedy. City won the game but that didn’t really matter. Both teams, wearing kits shorn of advertising and player names — and their supporters — marked the sombre occasion magnificently. City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson wrote to his fans asking for appropriate behaviour and they did not fail him. It was a sad day but also strangely uplifting, a day to recognise the good in both clubs, a day to be proud of Manchester. In 1958, there were five survivors from Sir Matt Busby’s team. Today at Old Trafford, when the 60th Munich anniversary will be marked with a memorial service from 2.45pm, there will be just two. Sir Bobby Charlton (below) has written an eloquent letter to the current United squad. It said: ‘That night we lost some of the greatest players and friends that I made in football. The devastating effect still lives on.’ Harry Gregg, meanwhile, arrived in Manchester from his home outside Belfast last night. Gregg, now 85, has asked that not only the eight players who perished at Munich be given full thought today but also the crew, civilians and journalists who brought the total of the dead to 23. Gregg was particularly fond of the former City goalkeeper Frank Swift, who died while pursuing a career as a writer for The News of the World. Swift, 44, perished on the way from the airfield to hospital and has long since given City their own link to the tragedy. At the time, Munich was very much viewed not just as United’s tragedy but Manchester’s and we should hold that sentiment close by us this afternoon. In his book Manchester’s Finest, author David Hall wrote: ‘As a Manchester team and England’s first representatives in the European Cup, the majority of City fans wanted United to do well. The sense of loss and grief they felt was shared that morning throughout the land.’ Currently United and City’s rivalry sometimes feels too toxic. Today, it feels appropriate to place that to one side and remember what matters — life, endeavour, brotherhood, glory. City will be represented at Old Trafford this afternoon and will lay a wreath in tribute. With United opening the gates of the ground to supporters for the service, we hope also there may be flashes of sky blue inside the famous old stadium. Ten years ago, many who were there will not be able to recall the names of the City scorers as they won 2-1. But they may recall the sight of 22 players lined up in their pristine retro strips around the centre circle, a blanket of red-andwhite scarves punctuated only by the blue and white of the visiting section. That was a day when modern rivalries and their faults were rubbed out by memories of the past. It was brief but we haven’t forgotten it. We should wish for a little more of that today.